St. Peter’s Health Partners (SPHP) today held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of its new $10 million, 570-car parking garage on the Samaritan Hospital campus. The new four-level building is part of SPHP’s $99 million Troy Master Facilities Plan (MFP), a strategic, multi-phase plan aimed at transforming the future of health care in Troy, Rensselaer County, and the surrounding communities.
Officials broke ground for the construction of the parking garage in September 2014. The completion of the 200,000-square-foot structure is considered the linchpin component of the Troy MFP – offering both convenient new parking for patients, visitors, and staff, and a glimpse into the promise of a “Healthy Future, Healthy Troy.”
“This is a momentous occasion,” said Norman E. Dascher, Jr., chief executive officer of Samaritan and St. Mary’s hospitals, and vice president of Acute Care Troy for SPHP. “Today, we celebrate the opening of our parking garage, which is a transformative project and key to our Troy MFP. The completion of this building means not only ample free parking for patients, visitors, and staff – which will alleviate those parking issues that many communities face – it is symbolic of the progress we are making to better serve all those in our communities.”
Part of the funding for the construction of the garage was provided by New York State through the Capital Region Economic Development Council, which awarded $1.25 million in grant funding for the project.
“The revitalization of St. Peter’s Health Partners infrastructure is paving the way for improved healthcare in Upstate New York,” said Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Howard Zemsky. “I applaud the leadership and forward-thinking that has led to the implementation of this strategic plan, and look forward to celebrating the completion of this project in 2017.”
“This project is a symbol of our commitment to this city and the regional economy, and will have a meaningful impact on those who work in and visit the institution and live in the surrounding neighborhoods,” said James K. Reed, MD, president and chief executive officer of SPHP. “We are grateful to the Capital Region Economic Development Council for their support and investment in the future of Troy and Rensselaer County area.”
Special thought was given to the design of the parking project, which would fit well in the neighborhood. Brick work was added to the façade of the building, and the concrete was sandblasted to give it a special appearance.
“Throughout this project, we have taken great care to build a convenient, and efficient parking structure that does not look like a parking garage. We thought about the design, the aesthetics, and the architecture – making sure what we erected was a beautiful building that has a positive impact on the neighborhood we serve,” said Dascher.
The opening of the garage building is the latest step of SPHP’s comprehensive Troy MFP which officials first announced in November 2012. The plan outlines the construction, renovation and modernization of the system’s health campuses at St. Mary’s and Samaritan hospitals.
In June 2015, SPHP officials opened the first major component of the Troy MFP – the new St. Mary’s Cancer Treatment Center. Triple the size of its former location at Samaritan Hospital, the new cancer center at St. Mary’s is specially designed for and by cancer patients, allowing for many expanded programs as well as new services and amenities.
In addition to the opening of the new St. Mary’s Cancer Treatment Center and the parking garage building at the Samaritan Hospital campus, the Troy MFP project also features the construction of a new patient pavilion at the Samaritan campus, with a new, expanded emergency department, intensive care, progressive care, and medical/surgical beds. Construction for the pavilion is expected to begin in the fall. The MFP is targeted for completion in 2017.
“Samaritan and St. Mary’s hospitals have had long histories and missions of care in our community – more than a century each – but combined, our two legacy organizations make for an even stronger Acute Care Troy Division of St. Peter’s Health Partners, the region’s largest health system,” said Reed. “With each step of our MFP, patients in our area will have increased access to new services and greater convenience to state-of-the-art care, truly making for a ‘Healthy Future, Healthy Troy.’”
The architect for the Troy MFP is Freeman White of Charlotte, NC; construction manager is BBL Construction Services, LLC, of Albany, N.Y.; design-build contractor and architect for the parking structure is Bette & Cring, LLC, of Latham, N.Y., and Envision Architects, PC, of Albany, N.Y.; and parking structure precast contractor is Dailey Precast of Shaftsbury, VT.
